141 only tells the destination phone to hide your number, it doesn't actually withhold the destination system from being able to read it. Most VoIP landlines can reveal a 141-withheld number, and the same applies to companies.

What was the number you called?

Maybe your call was presented as being "withheld" rather than "international".

What you have experienced is the same for National Rail Enquiries' 020 number.

We have covered this before. Your number is passed to receiver's telephone provider and it is up to honour your request to withhold your number and not disclose it to its customer.

Thanks, guys.  It confirms what I had already found.

Heinz, I am afraid that your numbers would defeat the object of using the geographic number, which was to take advantage of Free Evening & Weekend calls to geographic numbers.

Mike

After seeing the sticky post about using 141, I thought it best to bring to light some of the problematic issues with using 141 and why 141 is not an assurance of anonymity and how it can easily be overcome by companys...

Some systems reject caller IDs that are withheld so as to force you to unblock your number yourself rather than pay for expensive switching gear and software or hardware that unblocks the caller ID and this will depend on the telecoms in place.

Certain organisation systematically unblock caller ID barred calls like the emergency services for example. So while it is useful to put 141 in front of the number your calling, it is not a guarantee  that your number is not being unblocked by the call recipient.

Caller ID can also be used against you and bar you from talking to the company you need to. This is what happened to a friend of mine in a legal wrangle with the DWP and one of its employees. It appeared to be impossible for him to talk to the people that he needed to, so he faxed them after I told him how to set up his lappy to send a fax. Hours after the fax had gone, he was able to call and get through immediately despite having 2 months of not being able to get in contact. British Telecom confirmed that their was nothing wrong with the phone lines and that the issue "Could be" caller screening.

Whilst theirs legitimate use for blocking and unblocking caller ID's, it does not forgive the recipients system screening callers numbers. IMHO this flouts the Data Protection Act as these companies are recording your identifiable number and that can be linked to your name and address in a database.

IMHO its time for privacy groups to start digging away at telecoms systems and users rights to privacy, etc. Theirs nothing on earth from these companies from selling your telephone number to telemarketing companies or automated message systems that call you.

It is also easy to spoof caller ID's, companies will often use this method to inject a different word like PRIVATE or a different telephone number, they may be calling from a regular landline but the number you see in your phone could be a premium rate number and your only point of contact is to call back on that revenue earner.

IMHO the whole telecoms system needs to be overhauled and they should also respect the individuals rights to anonymity.

SO, remember to 141, if you find your call is not getting through, use a public payphone because that indicates that the recipient is ignoring withheld caller ID's.